Moving abroad? All you need to know about Expatland
New book tells the army of people working outside their birth country the right questions to ask about where they're heading, writes Christy Choi
Population: 230 million. Geography: diverse. Ethnic groups? Too many to mention.
Welcome to Expatland - a place that's home to some five million Brits, six million Americans, one million Aussies and three million Germans, to name a few. This fictional nation is the creation of John Marcarian, an Australian expat for two decades whose book was launched this month.
Marcarian, founder of CST Tax Advisors, coined the term after observing that a growing number of professional athletes, students, diplomats, hedge-fund managers, business owners, stay-at-home parents, etc, are seeking opportunity in a country other than their own.
Marcarian's no-nonsense guide helps expats navigate the facets of life not often featured on Facebook feeds, online forums and Instagram accounts - mostly by telling them the right questions to ask.
"Expats do social stuff well - the dinner parties, etc. What we don't do well is talking about the mistakes we've made," says Singapore-based Marcarian, who includes students and low-paid migrant workers in his definition of expat, and was in Hong Kong to promote his book.
